The Buddha said*...
"There are four places, Ananda, that a pious person should visit and look upon with feelings of reverence. What are the four?
Here (Lumbini) the blessed one was born.
Here (Bodhgaya) the blessed one attain enlightentment
Here (Sarnath) the blessed one turned the wheel of Dharma
Here (Kushinagara) the blessed one passed into Mahaparinirvana
"These, Ananda, are the four places that a pious person should visit and look upon with feelings of reverence."
"And whoever, Ananda, should die on such a pilgrimage with his heart established in faith, at the breaking up of the body, after death, will be reborn in a realm of heavenly happiness."
*Mahaparinibbana Sutta
By no means is this book about achieving Nirvana nor is it intended as a pilgrimage guide. Rather, it is meant to help awaken you to your surroundings as well as offer a suggestion of the places that Buddhist travellers might wish to visit. To attain Nirvana, you need to achieve your own self-cultivation through mediation (Samadhi) and develop wisdom (Prajna) through the understanding of Buddha’s dharma.
Buddhism has always been an inspiration to me both spiritually and philosophically, and I feel that the teachings that existed more than 2,500 years ago are still as relevant as ever today. The tranquillity of each Buddhist site, regardless of whether they are ancient temples, monuments or cities, never fails to give me a sense of peace. If you are a follower of Buddhism, what better way to travel than to trace the footsteps of that highly transcendent and sublime being, the Buddha?
There are, of course, many fascinating places to visit but for the purposes of this book, I have chosen to focus on Nepal, India, South East Asia, Sri Lanka and Taiwan. The course taken here begins in Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha, and it traces his journey as he attained Enlightenment, gave his First Sermons and finally passed from the physical realm (Mahaparinibbana). It should be noted that the section on Nepal is not an exhaustive one as there are many things I have yet to discover about this mystical and wonderful country so please don’t assume Lumbini is the only place worth visiting in Nepal.
Like all Buddhist scriptures or teachings, this book has been divided into three volumes. Each volume will introduce 36 places, bringing the overall total up to 108. But enough of my rambling. I’ll now leave your imagination to guide you as you read about the places mentioned in this book.
